Its truly amazing how many current movies are based on the stories of ancient literature.
How many movies are based on
Hamlet?
The Illiad?
Epic of Gilgamesh?
Oedipus Rex?
The New Testament?
Beowulf?
1001 Arabian Nights?
Argonatica?
And there's many more. The general background stories of most modern day stories(movies) have their beginnings in ancient literature. Simply put, if a story is great, the setting, characters, and small parts of the plot can change but as long as the general story is the same, it will still be great.